Experimental demonstration of voltage-matched two-terminal tandem minimodules

Alberi, Kirstin; Moore, James

doi:10.1117/1.JPE.8.045504

Experimental demonstration of voltage-matched two-terminal tandem minimodules

Journal Article · Mon Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Journal of Photonics for Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.8.045504· OSTI ID:1501656

Alberi, Kirstin ^[1]; Moore, James ^[2]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
George Washington Univ., Washington, DC (United States)

Mechanically stacked tandem solar cells are a potential near-term solution for increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic modules. Practical implementation requires an interconnection approach that maximizes efficiency and minimizes complexity and cost. Connecting the top and bottom cells in a voltage-matched configuration allows two-terminal modules to be fabricated without altering the cell design or processing methods. Here, we experimentally demonstrate two-terminal voltage-matched GaInP₂ / Si minimodules. The two-terminal minimodules performed just as well as four terminal configurations when voltage-matching requirements were met. The magnitude of the efficiency loss experienced by the voltage-matched minimodule when voltage-matched conditions were not met depends on whether the voltage was constrained by the GaInP₂ or Si cells. Monte Carlo simulations also indicate that the two-terminal voltage-matched tandems respond to small cell-to-cell parameter variations in a similar manner as four terminal tandems.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1501656

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5K00-72940

Journal Information:: Journal of Photonics for Energy, Journal Name: Journal of Photonics for Energy Journal Issue: 04 Vol. 8; ISSN 1947-7988

Publisher:: SPIECopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Experimental demonstration of voltage-matched two-terminal tandem minimodules

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